The Rafters Podcast

The Rafters are back with a 2026 Season Summary. One of the strangest NBA seasons as a whole, well summarized by the Boston Celtics breaking all expectations of a rebuild to get the Number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. A rebuild, a reload, a “gap-year”. Whatever they want to call it. The Boston Celtics won 51 games. Not too shabby. Celtics 2026 Season Summary coming up.

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The surprise Celtics are the three seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston stands behind only Detroit and New York as top teams in the East. A scrappy underdog Celtics team has settled into their roles the last month. Establishing a chemistry built on a lot of movement, speed, and everyone being involved. Jaylen Brown heads up the team as the only likely All-Star and while he’s been fantastic, it has been a team effort. Evident in games where Boston took down the Lakers, Pistons, Magic, and Raptors twice. People will check the standings and be surprised Celtics are the three-seed. Until you see them play.

The Rafters Crew talk about Jaylen Brown. Clearly the leader of this team, how is he running the show? How is he shooting so efficiently? While still early in the season, Celtics fans are elated to watch Finals MVP take a run at having a team of his own. As elated as they can be with their superstar sidelined for a season.

How can the Celtics shape up against the league all season long? Is the once afterthought team now bound for a deep playoff run once again? It seems like Brad Stevens can roll anyone onto the court and win 50+ games.

Tune into this weeks episode of The Rafters Podcast for all things Boston Celtics.

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The Boston Celtics are truly a different team this season. Expectations are the lowest they’ve been in the last 5 years. Yet the Celtics best the Cavs once again. Cleveland is an expected contender once again though usually that expectation rings hallow. Enter the raggedy Celtics. Led by former finals MVP Jaylen Brown and a handful of new faces.

This Celtics team is young, fast, and looking to upset your favorite team. They have nothing to lose but all to gain. Most of all respect. The league is tired of the Celtics run of dominance that reigned the last few seasons. Alas, this team will not go quietly. They won’t be the first seed. They won’t be dominating teams. They will win ugly, gritty, make games harder on themselves, and die on the court to win the game.

The Rafters crew goes over the first few games on the season. Give their expectations and projections. Talk new personnel and what they’re looking forward to see performance wise.

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The New Look Boston Celtics offer a completely different expectation than recent years past. For a lot of Celtics fans that expectation is a bad basketball team. Boston no longer stands at the height of season expectations. No Championship core, hardware riddled veterans, aging stars with a window slowly dropping to a shut position.

The Rafters Podcast has a different outlook on the team fans hope will “just win a few games”. For the first time since 2015, The Boston Celtics don’t have “championship or bust” hanging like a guillotine over their head. This new look Boston Celtics roster comes in ready to run and gun. Loaded with young talent most basketball fans have never seen get valuable minutes. Familiar faces like reigning 6th Man Of The Year Payton Pritchard and this seasons leader, Jaylen Brown ground fans to the memory of the championship past. How will these Celtics stars mesh with the young guys? What will Jaylen do without Jayson Tatum for a season? How will our foreign born first round pick look?

The Rafters Pod encourages fans to be excited for all the above. For the first time, fans can sit back and take each game in without thinking about players health through the season into playoffs. Our new combo guard Anfernee Simons will show Boston what a complete game he has. His love of the three ball will be on full display. In the weakest state the Eastern Conference has seen in years, what could happen?

It’s going to be a fun season with the new look Boston Celtics, we guarantee it.

The post The Rafters Pod Ep. 131: New Look Boston Celtics appeared first on Couch Guy Sports.

The Boston Celtics 2025 Off-season is upon us. Let me tell ya, things look bleak. We all know we’re going into the next season without star Jayson Tatum, likely for the full year. It’s also settled into the Boston fans that the organization will be fielding an entirely different team than the championship squad we’ve grown to adore. But Brad Stevens doesn’t tank right? So what is up his sleeve because this can’t be the final product.

The Rafters Co-hosts discuss the 2025 off-season activity that has prompted a youth movement Boston Celtics team. Trading for a younger scoring guard, rolling into the season with home grown talent brought over from Maine filling gaps, and the 2025 Draft picks and how they’re going to fit into this team.

Is this roster done? Liam doesn’t seem to think so. Connor is inclined to think the Celtics are tanking but Liam is sure this team is not done building. Luke Garza cannot be the last piece that secures the roster next season. As of right now, this is the Celtics roster.

Far from the Championship heights we’re used to. A long fall from the top and right now, we’re hitting branches. Hoping a few of these can break our fall before the big thud with the ground. The Celtics still have moves to make.

The East is already shaping out to be as weak as it usually is, the Magic look like a conference powerhouse. A halfway competent Celtics team can do enough damage to make this a successful season. Think about those Isaiah Thomas years. Something like that. Playfully competitive and exceptionally entertaining. We’re in for a season like that. It all starts in the 2025 Off-season.

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This is a Boston Celtics playoff meltdown for the ages. Against a Knicks team that went win-less against the defending champs in the regular season, the series is 2-0 in their favor. Boston mounted 20+ point leads in both games only to lose in crushing fashion. If this embarrassment goes on, it will go down as an all-time Celtics playoff meltdown.

Few playoff series in a storied past for the Boston Celtics tell this tale. Great team basketball leading to huge leads until someone turns the water off. Allowing the Knicks to come storming back taking advantage of a flustered Green team. The 3-0 deficit against the Miami Heat two years ago wasn’t even as severely disappointing as this.

Boston and OKC tied for the best road teams in the league this year. That is the final saving grace for Celtics fans. Desperately clinging to a reputation from this season to save the tournament. May Jayson and Jaylen save us.

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The Boston Celtics face the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. At the time of recording Boston is up 1-0 in the series against a scrappy yet, far less talented Magic team.

A heroic effort by Paulo Banchero fell by the way-side as the Celtics three point barrage buried Orlando. Derrick White returned to Playoff form leading the team in scoring mostly structured with three point shots. Payton Pritchard off the bench had immediate impact hitting a three on his first possession and never wavering his attack. Orlando kept it close into the 3rd quarter until Jrue Holidays 9 points pushed a lead that would never be challenged again.

Brown and Tatum were absent from my previous summary for a reason. A stinker from Jaylen Brown made you forget he was even out on the court for most of the game. Jayson Tatum opened the game with a few dynamic shots before realizing he’s having a slow night and playing the rebound game well. Then in classic Celtics fashion, Tatum goes down with an injured wrist late in the 3rd. He returned to the game to continue his shaky performance but is doubtful for Game 2.

Joe Mazzulla gave Celtics fans another stellar soundbite and reason to love him as he goes diabolical on the sidelines towards Tatum. Grittiest Coach in the league.

The Celtics Magic first round match-up looks to be a cake walk in Boston’s favor. They are by far the more talented team and it shows every facet of play. The Magic will put up a strong effort but their chance to win was Game 1. They failed.

The Celtics Magic Playoffs rivalry continues in this latest saga. Follow all the action with The Rafters Podcast. Like Rate, and Subscribe if you enjoy what you hear!

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The Boston Celtics hit their stride after a rough stretch. The defending Champions have been turning up the heat, showing the league who’s the most talented team. The most dynamic win comes against the top-seeded Cavaliers for a second time this season. Firmly entrenched as the second seed, Boston looks to roll into the playoffs with momentum and pedigree.

The Celtics have been winning games despite key players missing time. Jaylen Brown has missed 9 games, 16 for Holiday, 33 for Porzingis, and Horford has missed 15 games. It’s far from easy to maintain chemistry with revolving door lineups but no excuses from Boston. The Celtics hit their stride nonetheless.

Big time matchups loom against a strong Los Angeles and league-best OKC Thunder. Games like that will prove what this team is made of.

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Are the Boston Celtics Coasting or Struggling?

The Celtics went 7-5 in the month of December losing to teams not worthy enough of hanging around with the Defending Champions. Injuries have struck the team hard as Brown, White, Holiday, and Porzingis of course have all missed a handful of games. Is that a cause or an excuse though? With a fully healthy team, Boston lost 117-108 to the Chicago Bulls. A team that has no business being competitive. The Celtics were smacked in a game against the Grizzlies where the final score does not indicate how lop-sided the match was. Ja Morant exposed a slower Celtics team pouring in 32 points. A loss to the 16-17 Pacers was a demoralizing event even without Holiday and Porzingis. This is the most loaded team in the league. Closer losses to contenders like OKC are understandable in such a long season, but dropping “should-wins” should be concerning. Is this team Coasting or Struggling?

Mid-way through the season, standards for teams are being set. It appears the Celtics will not be in contention for the One Seed while Cleveland is on this historically great run they’re on. Standing atop the East at 34-6, the Cavaliers are playing with a mix of elite level chemistry and improvement from almost every player on the roster. Is this new-found juggernaut a potential threat to the Celtics reign?

How are the other teams in the East stacking up against the Boston Celtics? Despite the debate of them coasting or struggling, they have all the talent in the world. Connor and Liam take a look at the standings are project Celtics playoff performances against Milwaukee, the New York Knicks, and surprise teams like the Orlando Magic. Could a young, run-and-gun team like Orlando could land a surprise upset against Boston in the first round? Historically, Boston has struggled against Orlando even when the Magic fielded some awful teams over a decade span. Come playoffs, Orlando has had a decisive historical advantage despite having far less playoff experience.

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By far, the Celtics are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and they proved it once again. The undefeated Cavaliers found themselves face to face with the Boston Celtics and paid for it. Boston garnered a 21-point-lead, let the Cavs mount a comeback, then finished them off with some Jaylen Brown magic. The media fawned over the Cavaliers chemistry and ball movement only for them to run into the Buzzsaw defending champions. Proving once again, that the Celtics are the team to beat.

Neemias Queta was the focal point of the Cavs comeback for all the wrong reasons. The Celtics big man was exploited on defense relentlessly giving up most of their 27 point run in the paint. Clearly lost out there, Coach Mazzulla didn’t give up on him. Coach stated ““Some of the shots they hit were tough, some of the stuff we gave up, he’s gotta work on. But if we’re going to believe in our guys and get them to a level that they need to get to, those are things that you have to go through.” A beautiful display of empowering your young guys to contribute to a championship team.

The best team in the East will get even better around Christmas time. Kristaps Porzingis is expected to make his return to an already dominant team. Solidifying the Celtics as the team to beat in the East.

The post The Rafters Pod Ep. 125: Celtics Are The Team To Beat appeared first on Couch Guy Sports.